In looking over that Thrilling Detective Website [above], I came across this hilarious description of Michael Avallone's writing habits:
Certainly, Avallone had a high opinion of his own work. After his death, the quips and stories rolled out. "He never wrote a book he didn't like." "He rewrote one book three times, and sold each version, once as a mystery, once as a romance and once as a horror story, to three different publishers." "In making a list of the ten best mysteries of all time, he included one of his own books." "Reading him may have sometimes been a dubious pleasure, and dealing with him an onerous task, but I was glad I knew him. He was his own best character."

And more:

His was known for his wacko plots, his hilariously fragmented sentences, his penchant for improvised, nonsensical plots, his love for movie and baseball trivia, his complete allegiance to a sort of virtual unreality in whatever field he chose to write in was steamrollered by his enthusiasm and his own energetic albeit somewhat skewered version of the world, not to mention his penchant for truly pain-inducing puns, as evidenced by such titles as The Cunning Linguist, Turn the Other Sheik and The Alarming Clock.

He sounds like a character from one of his own books. I'm sorry I never met him. There's nothing more fun than being in a room full of narcissistic authors, unless one likes to visit a certain website.....